What do project managers do in a nutshell?

[ballmode]

I mean what type of business degree do people usually have to have to become a project manager?

Can anybody in English explain the job?

Job security?
Travel much?
Contractual based?

 

[Gibson486]

project manager for what?

For engineering companies, you are not going to find a PM with a degree in business....

As for what they do....

they manage the projects, make sure budgets are aligned, and makes sure everything is going efficiently. Sounds easy, but as with everything else in life, it's easier said than done.

Travel? Depends on the company. If it is client based, yeah, you will travel alot.

Job Security...it depends, do you suck at the job?

Contract based? I hope not. If it was, then there would be no incentive for the PM to follow through.

 

[Sukhoi]

They waste my time.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

They grab a hammer and try to break out of the nutshell.

 

[ballmode]

haha, but hey thanks. Wiki didn't really clear it up for me

 

[SSSnail]

They pretty much tell people what to do while knowing nothing about the subject.

 

[FoBoT]

I.T. project managers:

meetings
emails
spreadsheets
conference calls
laminate timelines
MS Project

repeat

 

[mcurphy]

In a manufacturing plant I worked at for a few years, the project managers were like the supervisors / liaisons for a certain part or product throughout the facility from start to finish. They would communicate with the customer, and then relay that info to the engineers, production managers, QC, and anybody else that needed to be informed. They were responsible for a specific part or "project" and had to ensure its success.

They spent a lot of time on the phone, and in meetings. And less time actually doing anything.

 

[Sea Moose]

They pretty much tell people what to do while knowing nothing about the subject.

This is something i have noticed. In my trade, i have found that they are usually under organised and blame their failures on the workers as much as they can get away with,

I basically stood up to one, eye balled him, and told him:

It is not my fucking job to organize your job.

was funny watching him piss his pants

Sick of civilians

 

[Leros]

At the last place I worked (software engineering company), the program managers were software developers. They're job was to drive the developers with the vision of the product and to shield the developers from the outside world (the business side, customers, marketing, etc). They spent about 50% of their time writing code for demos and prototyping out new ideas.

That was just one company. Each company tends to treat the subject of program managers very differently.

 

[jteef]

Their whole job is blamestorming. They take a project and build a map of who is going to get fired (also called a "work breakdown structure") if a part of the project is late. basically they make people feel guilty about holding up their end. It's a good job because 7 of your 8 hours / day are spent finding somebody else to blame the faults on and building all of the paperwork to back that up while they are too busy working on the project to defend themselves. The other hour is meetings.

also, every other comment in this thread is right.

 

[mcurphy]

In my trade, i have found that they are usually under organised and blame their failures on the workers as much as they can get away with,

This has been my experience as well. They really need to be babysitters and devote their time 24/7 to the project to be successful. But they are usually out of touch with the process involved, and make ridiculous promises to the customer. When things start to go to shit and deadlines are missed, they blame everyone but themselves.

A perfect project manager would be someone that has spent time practicing each and every step of a project from start to finish. Until they can do that, I don't see how they can supervise, quote, and make any type of prediction on the success of a project.

 

[FoBoT]

 

[quakefiend420]

so true...

 

[coldmeat]

I think they manage projects, not too sure though.

 

[Howard]

Upper or lower? On both ends you call lots of people and keep asking for things. If you're lower, you also do legwork.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

They waste my time.

basically. they are around solely to make sure adults aren't acting like kids, and getting shit done.

I am a "project manager" at this dealership I work for. What I do is just a waste of everyones time. I am responsible for making sure everyone is on the same page, even though they already know what to do. I also schedule department meetings and order supplies if needed and shit. Half the time I do real work with the detail guys since there is nothing else to do.

 

[Leros]

basically. they are around solely to make sure adults aren't acting like kids, and getting shit done.

I am a "project manager" at this dealership I work for. What I do is just a waste of everyones time. I am responsible for making sure everyone is on the same page, even though they already know what to do. I also schedule department meetings and order supplies if needed and shit. Half the time I do real work with the detail guys since there is nothing else to do.

That sounds like a normal manger not a program manager.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Herd cats.

Just went live with one my projects and even though we spent a month going over business requirements which they signed-off, they now want to redo everything. But hey, it provides lots of job security.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

That sounds like a normal manger not a program manager.

thats why i put it in quotes. my manager calls me the "project manager" because i do his dirty work....really...im just an assistant manager

 

[bas1c]

For a project manager of a software development project, they use metrics that have absolutely no meaning or relevance in the name of precise scheduling, accurate costing, and risk mitigation.

 

[freegeeks]

most of them are just human smtp mail servers, they just forward e-mails

 

[LurkerPrime]

A program/project manager is the person that takes all the credit for your hard work when things go right, and gives you all the blame when things go wrong.

I've had plenty of PMs and only one of them wasn't worthless. I guess the fact that he was a retired chief master sergeant had something to do with it.

Also almost all the posts above are acceptable descriptions.

edit: They also call/email you thier work, and expect you to do it, and prioritize it over your work. usually comes in an email with a title "NEED BY 11AM TODAY" and you get the email at 10:30.

 

[Blackjack200]

Lots of hate for project managers ITT. I'll just say that I've had to manage a few projects for my job, and of all the things I do, I hate it the most. You have no control over how (or if) things actually get done, you have to hound people constantly to get them to do their work or tell you what they need, and you get all the blame for everything.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I mean what type of business degree do people usually have to have to become a project manager?

Can anybody in English explain the job?

Job security?
Travel much?
Contractual based?

Even though I am working towards a PMP, I'll be honest -- most credentialed project managers that I've dealt with seem more adept at flinging buzzwords and trying to make their jobs seem more advanced/complicated/etc. than actually accomplishing anything.

As far as the work goes, a PM is responsible for documenting every facet of the project -- communication plan, resource allocation plans, project schedule, etc. A PM is also responsible for obtaining and allocating resources, both in terms of human resources and material goods. That doesn't mean a PM actually manages the people -- in many/most organizations, a PM doesn't have management authority over the people working on the project and instead, the PM has to interface with various levels of management to obtain time from their human resources. Also, a PM's biggest role is communication -- both within the team and to external stakeholders.